Everybody Wants To Rule The World
by Gleefulbabe
Summary: While attending a Gala that Mark forced him into, Jackson meets April, the most beautiful girl he has ever seen. They immediately hit it off, but what will happen when Jackson finds out that April's life is a lot more complicated than he had originally thought? As if being an Avery didn't get him enough attention... AU
1. Chapter 1

**This is just something that popped into my head the other day. I've wanted to write a Grey's fic for a very long time but even though I love lots of the couples, I didn't really connect with any. But then I got to know the wonders of Jackson and April and the rest, as they say, is history! This is really AU but not so much at the same time. It's kind of out there but I hope you like it anyway. There's a reference to April's accent (English) around halfway through but that is the AU aspect so just take it as it is.**

"Why are we even here?" Jackson Avery asked of his best friend, Mark Sloan as a waiter topped up his flute of champagne. They had only arrived ten minutes ago and he was already bored. This wasn't exactly his idea of a good night.

Mark rolled his eyes, not at all surprised by the younger man's foolishness. "_Because_, this is only the most prestigious party you will ever attend. You should be thankful that I even got you on the list!"

He was still at a loss. "Why did you get me on the list? Why couldn't you come by yourself? Or bring an actual date."

"I was doing you a favour. If you want to score, then this is the place to do it."

Jackson stared at his best friend curiously for a moment. Something wasn't adding up. Then it hit him. "You knew it was going to be lame, didn't you? That's why you dragged me along with you!" he accused in amused disbelief.

The older of the two knitted his eyebrows together and took a sip of his champagne. "There is absolutely no basis to that accusation…"

"The chief forced you to come didn't he?"

"Publicity for the hospital is very important."

"Then why didn't he send Shepherd? He's like the poster boy for the perfect example of a surgeon."

Mark tried not to take offence to that. "Webber thought that I would be more suited to the needs to tonight's guests…"

Jackson took a brief look around. "Touché," he took another sip of champagne, "But I'm still not happy that you dragged me here. I wanted to spend the night doing tequila shots with the other residents at Joe's not put on a stupid tuxedo and make polite small talk with people that I have never met in my life and probably will never meet again."

"Oh lighten up. We've only have to stay an hour or two. It's not _that _bad. Oh," he spotted someone that Webber had mentioned on the other side of the room, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Mark, I-" he began to protest but it was no use, Mark was already gone. Jackson internally cursed him while downing the rest of his champagne. If he had to endure this sad excuse for a party then he would make damn sure that he had enough alcohol in his system.

Jackson loitered around the bar for quite some time. In fact, he had lost track of just how long. After talking to that person, Mark moved on to another and another and, frankly, he had lost all hope that his friend would return. His brain told him that he should probably do some socialising of his own but he was far too determined to have an awful time to even contemplate it.

After his second martini, Jackson heard excited voices and followed the sound until his eyes landed on a group of about seven people, with more looking on curiously. It took him a moment to locate the source of this sudden burst of excitement but there was absolutely no doubt in his mind when he did. She was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. Her skin was like porcelain under the light and her fiery hair was gathered in an elegant chignon on the crown of her head, supported by diamond and pearl clips. A breath-taking green dress clung perfectly to each and every curve, accentuating her slim waist with an intricate diamanté design. The sleeves were loose and half cut out on top, making her arms seem long and elegant.

But it was not all of this that caught his attention. The red head looked up for a moment, her gorgeous brown eyes immediately making contact with his. Her gaze lingered for a moment, a small smile tugging at the corners of her ruby lips. In that moment, Jackson's heart started thudding against his chest. Who was this girl and why did one glance have him feeling so affected?

As quick as it had started, the moment was over as a greying man brought her attention back to her present company by introducing her to someone else. Jackson was left standing by the bar, martini glass frozen three-quarters of the way towards his mouth. Instead of taking a drink, he placed the glass back on the marble top of the bar. Well, the night had taken a sudden turn, that was for sure.

He was left intrigued by the red head- no, intrigued wasn't the right word; entranced was more like it. Suddenly, the woman's company disappeared and Jackson got ready to move. He needed to talk to her; to find out her name; to know her. He quickly finished off the rest of his drink and started making his way across the room. Unfortunately, when he was four metres away, another crowd engaged her in awestricken conversation. The surgeon cursed internally.

"Ah, Avery, there you are," Mark's voice and a pat on the back pulled him from his train of thought.

Jackson turned to face his best friend and mentor. If he hadn't been so dazed, he would have been really pissed. "Where the hell did you go?" he spotted a smudge on Mark's neck, "Is that _lipstick_?"

The renowned plastic surgeon rubbed his neck, smiling all the while. He shrugged. "Hey, I was just doing what the chief said!"

"I'm pretty sure that the chief didn't tell you to prostitute yourself for investment. Or even worse; _publicity_."

Mark chuckled. "Since when have I ever needed a reason? What have you been up to?"

Jackson grimaced. "Standing around by myself like an idiot since you abandoned me for a quickie with a Stepford wife."

"Dude, you're in a room full of people. You could have struck of a conversation with someone- especially a _lady _someone."

An infectious musical laugh suddenly cut through the air, causing the green eyed surgeon to turn around and lay his eyes upon _her _again. He wasn't sure that he had ever heard a more endearing sound. "If I had my way I would strike up a conversation with _that _lady someone…" he said lowly.

Mark followed his best friend's gaze with a very amused smile. He noticed that the girl in question was moving away from her fans. It was the perfect opportunity. "Well then go talk to her!" Jackson looked at the older man briefly because, before he knew it, he had been pushed a good few feet, causing him to collide with someone.

"Oh!" a feminine voice said instinctively. He nearly died when he looked up and saw that it was _that _someone; the beautiful redhead in the green dress. She looked even more beautiful up close.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" he apologised, already sure that she know thought he was an asshole. He was absolutely going to kill Mark.

To his complete surprise, however, she just smiled. "It's okay. No harm done."

There was a moment of silence between the two before Jackson realised that he really should say something. "I'm Jackson," he introduced himself, sticking out his hand.

The red head chuckled softly and shook it. "April." She replied in an English accent.

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

Stuck for something to say, he came out with "Are you enjoying the party?"

April looked around briefly before answering. "I guess. I've been to quite a few of these and they do get quite monotonous after a while."

Jackson nodded. "I know what you mean. This is my first one and I've already seen enough to make me wish it was my last too," he half joked.

It got the desired effect. Her laughter chimed once again. "You're funny."

"Would you like to dance with me?" He asked, knowing if he didn't ask now that he would chicken out and never would. That in itself was very unusual for him as he wasn't exactly timid when it came to women. This one, however, he could see was different.

"Sure," the red head looked around, "I just need to find somewhere to put my drink…"

"Allow me," Jackson replied and took the flute of champagne from her hand. He moved a couple of steps away and placed it in Mark's grasp, who gave him an encouraging look. He then returned to April and took her delicate hand in his, leading her to the dance floor.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and he rested his on her waist. "So you said it was your first time at one of these things. What brought you here?" April asked curiously.

Jackson gestured in Mark's direction. "My friend over there. We're both surgeons at Seattle Grace Mercy West and he was invited so he dragged me along with him. Although now I might just have to thank him."

She chuckled. "So you're a surgeon? That must be very interesting."

"It is. But it's a tough profession. There are a lot of sharks. You have to have your wits about you."

April's faltered ever so slightly. "I know what that's like."

"What about you? What do you do?"

"I'm currently doing a PHD in History and International relations in UW. I was kinda born into all of this."

That only piqued his interest further. "History, that's cool. You must really like it. I was never really the best at it."

April shrugged. "Some people are of the opinion that it's a nothing subject but I love it. History is important. I always say that those who forget the past are bound to repeat it."

Jackson smiled. "I would tend to agree with you on that one."

"Your friend seems pretty interested in what you're doing," she commented, looking at Mark over his shoulder.

The surgeon rolled his eyes. "Just ignore him. That's what I do most of the time. He usually goes away if you don't pay him too much attention," he joked. They continued to sway until the song ended. Just as they politely applauded the band, Mark made his way over to the two.

"I just got paged by Shepherd. It's all hands on deck," he said apologetically.

Jackson sighed. "Fine. I'll meet you outside in a minute." His superior nodded and made his way to the door. "I'm needed at the hosptital…"

April nodded. "Go save some lives."

He hesitated for a moment. "You wouldn't by any chance like to out to dinner with me sometime?"

Her face lit up at the suggestion. "I would love that." The red head spotted a pen in his jacket pocket. She rolled up his sleeve and scrawled digits on his skin. "Here, that's my number. You better call."

Jackson smiled. "I will. Enjoy the rest of the night."

"Good luck. I'll say a prayer for you." With that he said his final goodbye and made his way through the crowd and outside to Mark who had hailed a cab.

"Get in," the older man ordered and the both slid into the back seat. "Seattle Grace Mercy West," Mark quickly told the driver and within a few seconds they were on their way. "So you seemed to be getting on well with the red head; you're welcome."

Jackson rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to thank you for pushing me into her."

"Did the job though, didn't it?" He noticed the trail of numbers on his best friend's arm, "Well done my young apprentice. You just bagged yourself a princess," Mark beamed.

He grimaced. "Don't call her that." April wasn't spoiled like other girls in the same circle. From what he had seen so far, she was smart and funny and kind. It would take a lot for him to believe otherwise.

Mark frowned. "Call her what?"

"A princess. She's actually nice girl." His best friend stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. Jackson wasn't amused at all. "What?"

Mark continued to laugh. "You seriously don't know?"

"Don't know what?" he was starting to worry.

"I wasn't using the word 'princess' in a negative way. Avery, she really is a princess."

Jackson started. "A what?"

He was enjoying this way too much. "A princess as in the daughter of a king and queen. The King and Queen of Britain to be specific. I can't believe you didn't know that. Why do you think she had so many people kissing her ass?"

The younger man was completely lost for words. April was a _princess_. As in, she was in line to the throne of a country. _What_? Okay, she did have an English accent but still, come on. "She said that she was doing a PHD in UW…"

"Yeah, she is. Hence the reason she's here in Seattle."

Jackson still couldn't believe it. He had talked to a princess. He had joked with a princess. He had danced with a princess.

He was going on a date with a princess.

"Holy shit."

Sloan laughed once again. "You know what? I'm glad you didn't know because I wouldn't trade getting to see the look on your face right now for anything."

Well this certainly put an odd slant on things.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait with this chapter but it took a while for it to come together. And are you actually serious with the response to the first chapter? You guys are AMAZING! Seriously, after I posted the first chapter I had no wifi for a couple of days and when I checked my email again I had like forty about this story. I am actually touched that you all liked the first chapter so much. Here's hoping the rest doesn't disappoint! **

Derek definitely wasn't kidding when he paged 911. When Mark and Jackson arrived at the ER, there were bodies all over the place in various states. Their presence was needed so urgently that they didn't even get the chance to change out of their tuxes, instead having trauma gowns quickly put on them but nurses. They automatically went into trauma mode.

"What the hell happened?" Mark asked Yang, an eyebrow arched.

Cristina placed her stethoscope on the bare chest of a man in his mid-twenties who was unconscious and seemed to have some serious third degree burns. She left out a sigh of relief when she found a heartbeat, placing her stethoscope around her neck once again. "Fire in a nightclub. Half the casualties were sent to Seattle Pres. We got the worst."

The attending smiled grimly. "That's because we're the best. Avery, there's a girl over there with second degrees on her face, can you take her?"

Jackson nodded and immediately set off to tend to his patient. Meredith was already by her side, working on a nasty looking gash running the length of her thigh. The young brunette groaned in pain and squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry Corey but this going to hurt. You're cut pretty bad," Dr. Grey informed her patient sympathetically.

He caught his ex- housemate's eye and she briefly nodded. "Hi, Corey. My name is Dr. Avery. I'm going to take a look at those burns on your face."

Corey frowned. "It's really bad, isn't it?"

"I've seen a lot worse," Jackson assured her, taking a closer look. "Mostly superficial but there are second degree burns on your jaw line. I'm going to try my best to keep the scarring to a minimum."

The patient smiled. "My hero. I really don't want to end up with a load of scars on my face," she frowned, "That makes me sound vain, doesn't it?"

Jackson chuckled. "Vain? No. Sane? Yes. Trust me, anyone would feel the same. I would know, I deal with things like this on a daily basis-"

"Avery!" Hunt called from the door of a trauma room, covered almost head to toe in blood. "We need you in here, stat!" He barely managed to get out before one of the residents inside the room called for him in a panic.

"I'll be back, I promise," Jackson assured his patient, grabbing an intern who was passing by. "You need to get some non-sticks on those burns. Leave the rest to me"

The small blond woman looked at him almost in awe before nodding enthusiastically. "No problem, Dr. Avery."

He cast his patient a reassuring smile before sprinting off in Hunt's direction, avoiding trolleys and people alike in the process. Jackson liked to think that, as a surgeon, he'd pretty much seen everything but he still got a shock when he caught sight of the patient on the bed surrounded by medical personnel. Burns of different degrees covered nearly every inch of his body. So much so that he had no defining features at all. He was just charred and raw skin.

It was definitely going to be a long night.

* * *

It took about three hours for things to calm down. That night over twenty patients were admitted. Another twenty were treated for minor injuries there and then and sent home. Jackson lost count of the amount of people that he had worked on in some way or other. It wasn't until all the rush had died down and he was doing charts that he realised that he was tired; really tired. The thought that he had been dancing with April at the gala earlier that night was almost laughable.

"I'm glad that I only had a glass or two of champagne." Mark's voice came from behind him and he quickly pivoted on his heel.

Jackson arched an eyebrow. "A glass or two of champagne?" He knew that the older man had definitely had more than that but he hadn't been _drunk _or any way incapable of doing his job.

The attending smiled coyly. "You heard right. Tonight didn't exactly turn out the way I expected but such is the life of a brilliant surgeon. You never know when you're going to have to serve mankind."

"Modest as ever I see," the green eyed resident chuckled.

Mark shrugged. "So when are you going to call April? Not now obviously seeing as it's," he glanced at his watch, "three o' clock in the morning. I really hope that you remember to save her number in your phone before you disinfected."

Jackson glanced down at his arm and saw that the number had in fact nearly completely disappeared. It certainly wasn't legible anyway. "Of course I did. And I don't know when I'm going to call her- _if _I'm going to call her." Now that he actually had time to think of something other than medicine, he wasn't so sure anymore. April was so sweet and obviously incredibly beautiful but he had this feeling in his stomach that was making him uneasy.

"_Excuse me_?" The smile disappeared completely from his face. "I'm sorry, I thought I heard you say that you weren't going to call her."

"That's what I said."

There was a brief moment of silence. "Are you out of your mind?! _Seriously? _She's smoking hot a_nd _she's a princess! What more could you possibly want?" Mark asked as if it was the most absurd thing he had ever heard. "I thought I taught you well!"

He frowned. "Yes, she's a princess. I didn't know that when I was talking to her. I thought she was just like any other woman. I mean, I did know that she was different but not in that way-"

"I'm not hearing a valid excuse here. What's really going on?" His best friend eyed him suspiciously.

Jackson paused. He knew exactly why he was dubious. It was because of his own family- what he had to do to get to where he was right now. "I'm an Avery, Mark. I have to deal with enough unwanted attention as it is. I'm sick of people treating me differently because of who my mother is or who my grandfather is. Dating a princess isn't exactly going to help with any of that. It will only be more unwanted attention. I don't think that I want that."

Mark arched an eyebrow, a hint of a smirk on his face. "You really don't see it, do you?"

"See what?" he asked, confused.

"See that by deciding not to call you're doing the exact same thing to her that you just said you hate being done to you. You're making a decision based on who her family are, not based on who April is. You haven't even given her a chance."

That pretty much floored Jackson. That hadn't even crossed his mind. Mark was right. What he was thinking about doing was completely hypocritical. April couldn't help who her family was just as much as he couldn't help who his was. He knew only too well how it felt. The resident decided that it was time he got over his complex and went on a date with the girl that he liked; not because she was in line to a throne, but because he genuinely liked her. "You're right."

His best friend beamed. "Of course I'm right! When am I ever not right?"

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Yeah so I'm going to finish these charts and then I'm going to go home and get some much needed sleep," he said, ignoring the older man's statement.

"Great but you better call her. Tomorrow preferably. She is a princess, you know," Mark said playfully and patted his protégé on the back before heading off to find Shepherd.

The younger man just shook his head and chuckled to himself before making for the elevator to get to the residents' lounge to change out of his scrubs and back into his tux. Or maybe just retrieve his tux. He made a mental note to keep a spare pair of jeans and a t-shirt in the hospital from then on just in case he should ever find himself in a similar situation again. The chances of something like this happening again were extremely high.

* * *

It was a very nice change for Jackson when he woke the next day of his own accord rather than being rudely roused at ungodly hours by his alarm clock. He didn't know what time of the morning or afternoon it was but could see bright light streaming in from the gap between the curtain and the wall. He haphazardly threw one arm over onto the locker that stood at his bedside to retrieve his phone. Three o'clock in the afternoon. Jackson really loved his days off. He had just gotten eleven hours sleep which was a once in a blue moon occurrence.

He lay there for another few minutes before leisurely getting up and making his way to the en-suite so that he could take a shower and relax even more. The hot water cascading down on top of him loosened every stiff muscle and rejuvenated him. While in the shower, he had more time to think about April. He was definitely going to call her, he just wasn't sure when yet. It would be soon though. He couldn't risk waiting too long, not with a woman like her. Jackson could still clearly see her fire-like red hair and doe eyes that just made her look like the most innocent and decent person that he had ever met in his whole life and her laugh that chimed like a bell.

The more he thought about it, the more inconceivable the notion that he wouldn't call her became. How could he not? The dark skinned doctor turned off the shower and stepped out, patting his upper body with a soft white towel before tying it around his waist. He made his way back to the bedroom and sat down on the edge of his bed. Jackson picked up his phone, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

He went into google and, after the page had loaded fully, began to type her name into the search bar. His finger hovered over the button for a prolonged moment. Was that really a good idea? Would he want one of his potential dates to google him? The answer was a resounding no. Jackson would actually be pretty annoyed if he found out that one of them did. That made up his mind for him and he quickly closed the page. If he was going to get to know April then he was going to do that through taking to her, not finding out what the internet had to say about her. He owed her at least that much.

The resident doctor decided there and then that it was the right time to call her. There's no time like the present, as they say. Flicking through his contacts, he kept going until he reached her name. Jackson hesitated for a moment before making a snap decision and hit the call button on his screen. He pressed the phone to his ear and listened as the dial tone began to sound. It continued for about fifteen seconds and he was about to dejectedly give up when the phone was finally picked up.

"Hello?" her musical voice descended over the line, sounding a bit flustered.

Jackson smiled to himself. "April?"

"Speaking."

"It's Jackson. Avery. From last night?" he prompted hopefully, not even able to think about the fact that she may not remember him.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case. "Jackson! You called."

He frowned at the evident tone of surprise in her voice. "Of course. I told you I would call."

"I know it's just- never mind… How are you?"

"I'm good. Relishing my day off. I actually got a decent amount of sleep for once. How are you?"

"Great. Actually, how was work? From the hurry you and your friend left in, I guessed it was pretty bad…"

"It was pretty bad. A fire broke out in a nightclub. We had around fifty patients come in at once. Seattle Pres. got around the same. Most of them were okay- only a few knocks and bruises and some smoke inhalation- but there was a few who weren't in such a good state. Thankfully we only lost two."

"Wow. You guys do such a great job. You're heroes," she informed him with clear admiration in her voice.

Jackson frowned. He wouldn't exactly describe himself and his colleagues as that. "A lot of the time we're actually villains. Or the patients think that. We give a lot of bad news… I thought you weren't going to pick up for a minute," he said, changing the subject.

April chuckled. "I hope you didn't think that I was avoiding your call. I just got out of a lecture."

"It was touch and go there for a minute," he joked, "I actually called to find out if you were free tomorrow night?"

"Well, besides a date with the television, I have nothing planned…"

A very large smile appeared on his face. "Great. So how about I pick you up around half seven?"

"Sure. My apartment is on Lincoln Street."

"You're only a few blocks away from me. I guess I'll see you tomorrow night then?"

"Not so fast; would you care to tell me what way I should dress?"

Jackson chuckled. "That would be giving too much away," he told her, knowing that girls hates it when they didn't know exactly what they had to wear. Also, he hadn't really decided where he was going to take her yet so he couldn't really tell her how to dress.

"Of course it would," he could almost hear her roll her eyes. "I'll see you at half seven tomorrow so?"

"Yes, you will."

"I'm looking forward to it," April said with a lot of enthusiasm, "See you then, Jackson."

"Bye, April."

As soon as the line had disconnected he tossed his phone down on the duvet, taking a deep breath. The hardest part was over.


End file.
